How to Maximise the Success of Your Sales Calls

In the present environment, salespeople are delighted with the opportunity to meet with anybody who expresses an interest. But, what exactly is the purpose of that first meeting and how to maximise its success? For example, how speedily can you qualify the opportunity?

To help you we have pulled some of the key points from Miller Heiman's NEW CONCEPTUAL SELLING which in the words of the authors describes 'the most effective and proven method for face to face sales planning'. And it is a refreshing read, bring us back to the basics, that are so easily overlooked in the complex sale.

The purpose of this book is clear. It is spelt out in the opening sentence of Chapter One: ‘This book shows you how to stop selling.’ So, you are immediately confused, just how is it going to help me as a salesperson then? Well, Miller Heiman want us to focus instead on how the customer buys and on making that easier. That means adopting what they call a partnership approach to mutually exploring needs and solutions with our customers.

Partners in Exploring Options

So, how to you begin this partnership process? Well, state it as your objective, for example starting your customer meeting with something like this: ‘I am really not try to ‘sell’ you anything. Instead, because we are not for everyone, I would like us together to explore whether or not we have a match here. I know exactly where we fit and where we don’t, so I would like to ask you as many questions as you would like to ask me… Is this ok with you?’ The end result a more relaxed buyer, as well as a more relaxed salesperson and a more effective process of interaction.

Note the salesperson is immediately suggesting a process of two way communication, or dialogue as the approach. They remind us what we all know, but can easily forget – that is ‘show and tell’ sessions are not effective. We need to have conversations instead. For too long salesperson have been telling customers what they need, but now those same customers have stopped listening, after all they have real business decisions to make.

Joint Venture Selling

The first step on the path to joint venture selling is to scrap the assumption that the prospect needs your solution and that by showing it he, or she will immediately recognize that need. Here is the fundamental point – ‘people buy for their own reasons not yours!’ In a similar vein, people don’t resist their own ideas, but will resist those foisted upon them.

So, the task of the salesperson is to understand his, or her needs and the decision making process by which they will be met.

Life beyond the product pitch.

Let us revisit selling complex solutions 101 - ‘nobody buys a product, or service per se. What is bought is what the customer thinks the product, or service will do for him, or her.’ This is encapsulated in what what the authors refer to as the customer’s own personal ‘solution concept’.

For example, two organisations may require a CRM system, but for totally different reasons. The salesperson who sells the same way to each, pitching their and highlighting its feature set, is missing the point. Each customer has a unique and individual concept of the solution for his, or her business. Knowing exactly what that is the vital first step to a sale.

'Customerized Selling'

The salesperson’s job is not just discovering the customer’s solution concept, but helping shape it too. This process of adapting what you have got to the unique needs of each customer and the ideas that they want expressed, is what the authors call ‘customerized selling’. Key to this process is addressing the following questions:

Why am I here? This requires defining the sales objective for each meeting, or call. This goes hand in hand with effective sales meeting and sales call planning.

What do I want the customer to do? That is the ideal, or at least the minimum commitment that you expect from the customer as a next step following your meeting – after all it is a joint process, or no process at all. Before the meeting you will confirm with the prospect that this step is an appropriate next action, in this way ensuring agreement and commitment.

Ensure that people are with you on the journey – testing on an ongoing basis their level of interest, engagement and commitment. Measure the pulse of the relationship, as well as the opportunity, by regularly checking for commitment on the part of the customer.

If the customer does not take, or complete a specific next action following a meeting then perhaps he, or she does not clearly see a personal win and work in this area is required. Otherwise perhaps this is no win-win to be had at this time and you should look elsewhere.

Why should the customer see me? This relates to what the authors call a ‘valid business reason’ for the customer, or prospect to want to allocate time to meet with the salesperson. Clearly agreeing this in advance will warm up your call (if it is a cold call) and set expectations for the meeting, including who should be present and increase its effectiveness. If it is simply meeting a prospect for a sales call and there is no ‘valid business reason’ in the eyes of the prospect then it is not a sales call.

Do I have credibility? Before you prospect can talk about needs or explore your solution, he, or she had to be comfortable regarding your credibility, and that of your company. So, pay attention to the nature of the questions the prospect is asking, are they about your solution, or your credibility?

Present the prospect with evidence of your credibility which is based on your confidence, appearance and approach, as well as what you communicate about your experience, knowledge, associations, accreditations, etc.

What Information am I missing?

As salespeople we have the dominant gene for talking. However, we need to stop talking and start listening. To help us we need good questions that will fill in any gaps in the information that we have about our prospects and their needs, solution concept, buying process, etc.

It is important to prepare a list of the right questions and asking them in the right way, including how they are phrased and sequenced. Then afford silence to the answers. These questions are not just aimed at eliciting facts, but also building understanding and in particular exploring soft areas such as attitudes, emotions, culture, etc.

So, the sales person is no longer in control.

The salesperson has to let go of the notion of control. He, or she must stop assuming that the customer needs what he, or she has got and start listen intensively to what the customer actually wants. He, or she is no longer the 'ring master at the sale', to use the authors words, but merely a facilitator and communicator.

The salesperson’s new job is to get information, give information and build commitment through what the authors call a ‘joint venture’ approach to selling. And the founding principle of that approach is a win-win, where buyer and seller create the environment and conditions for a mutually beneficial relationship.

Arriving at a win-win situation.

Win-win is a genuine situation where neither the buyer,

or the seller seeks to steal a short term win over the other. For the seller this win-win mentality is key to ensuring repeat business and enthusiastic referrals for the customer. Something similar applies for the buyer, who does not foist unreasonable terms on the seller that would result in a one sided deal that would cut the cost of the solution, but might also impact on the suppliers ability, or commitment to deliver.

The win-win mentality is the ultimate expression of joint venture selling, with parity of needs and esteem. It means that the seller does not adopt a ‘cap in hand’ mentality and is prepared to walk away if the relationship cannot be mutually advantageous.

Praise for this book:

THE NEW CONCEPTUAL SELLING by Miller Heiman is not new, in fact it was first published as far back as 1987. However, it is still the gold standard as regards sales methodology for the complex sale. This book provides the fundamentals that will always be important, regardless of any trend, or fads in selling.

Sell don’t tell: How improving your listening skills will increase your sales success

Great sales people are not great talkers:

Contrary to popular opinion great sales people are not great talkers, but great communicators. The difference is the ability to listen.

When the sales person listens he/she will be told things that will help sell. Real selling takes place in conversations, as opposed to monologues, in the two-way exchange of ideas, as opposed to formal presentation, and the joint exploration of problems, as opposed unilateral proposals.

We live in an age of sound bites, Instant feedback and direct response. With too much information and not enough time we want the conclusion without reading the report and the headlines before reading the article. The only problem is that conversations don’t work that way. There are no summaries, no headings and no bullet points. Often the person talking has to verbally reason their way through the detail before you get the headlines you need. You may have figured out the solution within the first few minutes of listening, but the other person has not finished talking yet.

Great talkers out number great listeners ten to one:

Listening is not easy, or else everybody would be doing it and we would live in the type of world described by John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’. Here is the problem: talking results in immediate gratification of the ego, listening on the other hand does not. The little show off in us all wants to be heard, wants the listener to know how much we know and wants to have our opinions aired.

The goal is to learn about the prospect’s problems so that you can sell your solutions. But it is also to make the person feel better, to show you care and to build rapport. By asking questions and listening to the prospect you build awareness of the problem, as well as ownership the solution. These are two vital ingredients of your sales success.

Tips To Improve Your Listening:

· You must earn the right to listen and encourage the prospect to open up, by owing that you are credible, trust-worthy and attentive. You must also tell the prospect that you want to listen and why. For many buyers this may seem unusual, or even unwelcome, with the sales person expected to talk rather than listen and the consultant suspected of repeating back what he/she has been told.

• Listening is an attitude – it is built on openness and respect for the person talking. To listen well you need to be genuinely interested in the other person and what they have to say.
  
  
• Listening is active, not passive. It is also a full body activity:

- Give visual encouragement to the speaker - face the speaker, maintain eye contact, nod your head as you listen, etc.

- Give non verbal feedback to show that you are listening - using words like "yes", "I see", etc.

• Listening requires patience and discipline. Because we listen and process information faster than others can talk we must resist the temptation to interrupt, or to jump in. Your challenge is to let the speaker tell the story in his/her own words and at his/her own pace.
  
  
• An intellectual understanding is not enough: great communicators empathize. They also understand the emotional context - reading the emotions and the body language of the person talking.
  
  
• Beware of making judgments and try to remain objective and open-minded. Having been around quite a bit you most likely hae seen it all before. Yet, to really engage with the person talking it is important to sweep away your preconceived notions.
  
  
• Probe by asking open questions (e.g. how do you feel about that? and, in particular, to explore the implications of what is being said.
  
  
• Take some notes. This will aid your concentration at the time and assist your recall after the event. It can also demonstrate that you are listening.
  
  
• Check regularly to ensure that you understand what is being said, paraphrasing the key points to confirm that it is correct and that you understand the importance, or emotion attached to it.
  
  
• Put your ego in your back pocket, this is essential if you are going to listen effectively. Remember it is not about you, it is about the buyer. It does not matter whether what is being said is 'right' or 'wrong'. Resist the temptation to show that you know more than the buyer and protecting the prospects ego at every turn. Remember listening is also a manifestation of confidence on the part of the listener to be able to listen without interrupting.
  
  
• Key to being a good listener is to demonstrate trustworthiness and making it safe for the buyer to open up.
  
  

Always give the customer a chance to say No!

The golden rule always was 'don't give the customer a chance to say NO'. That is don't ask any questions that could result in a 'NO' answer and consequently sabotage your sale.

For example, don't ask the customer 'is this something that you might be interested in' if there is a chance he/she could say 'NO'. The logic was keep listing the benefits, the features and with persistence and charm you will eventually get the sale.

Now, if you are selling door to door, or over the phone that logic is fine. But, if you are selling complex or high value B2B solutions you will want to hear a 'No' as much as you will want to hear a 'Yes '. That is because the nature of the answer is irrelevant in terms of prequalification and consultative selling.

With sales cycles lasting months, you had better find out as early as possible if what you have could be of interest to the customer. If it is not, then either you need to go back to the drawing board and find another solution, or go back to your prospect list and find another potential customer.

Getting a 'NO' in week 2 is much better than getting it in week 22, after multiple futile sales calls, presentations and even a proposal. Your sales time is precious so make it easy for the customer to tell you if you are wasting your time, or at least going in the wrong direction.

Here are some of the questions you want to ask, regardless of whether the answer is YES, or NO:

· - I am not sure if this is something that you might be interested in?

· Is now a good time to talk?

· Is this the right time for you to consider this option?

· Is this a priority for your business at this time?

· Do you have a budget for this?

· Do you have decision making responsibility for this?

· Is there a reason why you are talking to us, given that you have been a customer of our competitor for so long?

If 'NO' is the answer then how will it help you advance your sales process, or does it suggest that your sales efforts would be better invested elsewhere.